A report into suicide prevention and related mental health services on the Isle of Wight has highlighted that GPs locally do not believe the services on offer are ‘good’ or ‘excellent’, with 75% actually rating the provision as ‘inadequate’ or ‘extremely inadequate’.
Healthwatch Isle of Wight has been working alongside health and care partners to look into how suicide prevention works on the Island. Part of this work has involved surveying General Practitioners about the mental health support available on the Island, as well as understanding the challenges and opportunities that exist for improving the situation.
The watchdog’s report, Suicide Prevention and Related Mental Health Provision on the Isle of Wight (December 2020), was discussed at Isle of Wight Council’s Policy and Scrutiny Committee for Health and Social Care on Monday (19th July). The report makes a number of recommendations to partners on the Island to address historic challenges in the prevention of suicide and will help shape an Island-wide event on suicide prevention to be held in September.
Public Health colleagues, commissioners of health services and Isle of Wight NHS Trust recognise the importance of these recommendations and have assured Healthwatch and Islanders that many of the issues identified have been addressed since 2019.
Some recommendations will take a concerted effort from a range of agencies across the Island to deliver, but Healthwatch and its local partners are committed to bringing about the changes needed for our community.
Dr Ann Luce, Associate Professor of Journalism and Communication, elected UK representative of the International Association of Suicide Prevention, said:
“I was impressed by the level of analysis carried out in the suicide prevention report by Healthwatch Isle of Wight. I hope it will provide a starting point for those working on suicide prevention across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to reflect on the gaps in provision, what is working well already, and what will need to be improved moving forward.
“It is so important to have an objective third party that can look at topics such as these. It’s only when we work together can we really save lives, and it was great to see Healthwatch’s dedication to this very important issue that affects the local community.”
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Simon Bryant, Director of Public Health for the Isle of Wight, said:
“Suicide has a profound effect on family, friends and the local community. Each of these deaths is a tragedy and this report from Healthwatch, shines a light on a very important issue.
“The key principle of the island’s Suicide Prevention Partnership is that suicide is preventable with an approach that sees statutory agencies, the voluntary sector and others to working together. This report and its recommendations will inform the coming event – ‘Shaping the Future of the Island’s Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Strategy’ on Tuesday 14 September.
“We are all committed to working together to ensure that people in need of mental health and wellbeing support receive the help they need and we are determined to tackle the wider causes of mental ill health together, as a system.”
Alison Smith, Managing Director, Hampshire, Southampton, and Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group, said:
“This report highlights some of the challenges that those working in suicide prevention on the Isle of Wight face and we are grateful to Healthwatch for its work.
“Many of the concerns identified have already been addressed through the ongoing transformation of Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Services and we will work with Healthwatch and our other partners to ensure that all of the recommendations are taken forward.
“No one organisation alone can tackle this hugely important issue, it has to be addressed across the whole island community.”
Dr Lesley Stevens, Director of Community, Mental Health and Learning Disabilities, at Isle of Wight NHS Trust said:
“All partners on the Island are fully committed to furthering the work already underway to prevent suicide. It is hugely important and requires all parts of the health and care system to work together. I am pleased with the progress we are making in addressing the concerns raised in this report and together we remain focused on tackling the underlying issues that affect people’s mental health and wellbeing, including those at risk of suicide.
“The Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Services we provide have been undergoing real transformation in the last two years and there have been significant improvements made. We work closely with people who use our services and their families, GPs, local authority colleagues and voluntary and charitable organisations to make sure all parts of the system come together to meet the individual needs of people with mental illness”.
If you are experiencing feelings of distress or despair, you can call The Samaritans in confidence on 116 123. Help is at hand when you need it - you don’t have to be suicidal to get in touch.
how the hell did they find 75% of doctors on the island i cant find after 2yrs of trying
left out the word one sorry
And 75% of GPs didn’t care enough about Mental Health to make themselves available to council those terrified by the Pandemic, choosing instead to lock up, hide away and NOW blame anything but themselves for the issues THEY have helped to promote. Good Mental Health needs a gateway to resources, GPs were that gateway until they slammed the door.
How can the GPs know if people are suffering from mental health problems by using e consult. They have done a disappearing act for 18 months so if they were to forego any salary for the length of their absence then perhaps this money could be used on the NHS staff who didn’t hide and did such a wonderful job
First point of call for anybody with a health issue is their GP, and face to face meetings are a good way for GPs to determine if someone is at risk, can’t do this on Zoom or by text. Seems that 75%, can’t see that they may have failed their patients by hiding behind the covid mask.
75% of gp’s are inadequate. 75% of Gp’s do not spend enough time with a patient. 75% of Gp’s are up themselves, think that they know better than everyone else and just because the work in the NHS they think that the waves should be parted for them.
How about they actually earn their salaries and see their patients face to face and actually diagnose something from knowledge, rather than Dr Google.